Dental-cotton-pellet machine



(No Model.)

R. N. ROBERTS. y DENTAL COTTON PELLET MACHINE.

No. 451.701. Patented Maly 5, 1891.

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lturion@ ArsNr RICHARD N. ROBERTS, OF ROCKVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

DENTAL-COTTON-,PELLET MACHINE.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,701, dated May 5,1891.

Application tiled March l0, 1891. Serial No. 384,419. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD N. ROBERTS, of Rockville, in the county ofTolland and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dental-Cotton-Pellet Machines, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled inthe artcan make and use the same.`

My invention relates to the art or profession of dentistry, andIparticularly to a device by the use of which pellets of fibrousmaterial, usually cotton, such as are used in the preparation of teethfor filling and in other surgical dentistry, may be quickly and rapidlyformed. The old practice in this regard has been to take up with a pairof gold forceps or a like tool a small quantity of cotton fiber and rollit up between the fingers to form a small pellet most commonly used fordrying out a cavity in a tooth preparatory to filling the excavation;and my invention consists in a device by means of which such a pelletmay be quickly and rapidly formed by the use of mechanism; and itfurther consists in details o f the several parts making up theapparatus as a whole, as more particularly hereinafter described, andpointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a detail view in side elevationof part of the device shown as clamped to a table or like support andillustrating the method of using the device. Fig. 2 is a detail view, incentral vertical section, of the device. Fig. 3 is a detail top or planview of the device. Fig. 4 are views of the pellet after removal fromthe forceps and while held in the forceps.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter c denotes a brush-support,preferably a diskshaped piece of metal arranged in a horizontal positionon a support that enables the disk to be rotated. The disk is preferablyslightly dished on its upper surface and has at or near the center aholding-point l), that is usually a slight indentation or depression,into which the end of a pair of gold forceps or other tool adapted tohold a wisp of cotton or like iiber will easily fit. At one side of thecenter about which the disk or brush-support turns, and adjacent to theholding-point, is secured a wiper or brush c, and there may be one ormore such brushes. The brush is preferably made of bristles, the ends ofwhich are so arranged as to wipe or comb the fibers of cotton as thedisk is rotated.

In the form of device in which my invention is embodied, as shown in thedrawings, the disk is mounted on a stem d, that projects upward from atubular standard e. The stem d is provided with a spiral groove orthread d', and it passes through a nut f, fast in the top of thestandard, and is secured to the lower end of a coil-spring g, the upperend of which is secured to the Walls of the standard, as at e. Thisstandard is preferably secured to a cotton-holder 7i in such manner thatthe disk stands in a substantially horizontal position. l

The operation of the device is as follows: A small quantity of cottonfiber i is grasped in a pair of gold forceps, and the point of thelatter inserted in the holding-point b with a downward pressure thatthrusts the stem d into the standard against the holding power of thecoil-spring g. This downward movement of the disk causes it to rotate,as the nut is fixed against rotation and the thread on the nut and onthe stem correspond and are interengaged. As soon as the pressure on thedisk is removed it is at once returned to its uppermost position by therecoil of the spring.

The purpose of making the disk rotate is to cause the wiper or brush towind the fibers of cotton around the points of the forceps or other toolthat holds the fibers and form a pellet, and the latter will of coursedepend in size upon the quantity of fiber that is taken up at any onetime. The pellet that is formed is made entirely by the use of themechanism, and by mounting the disk upon a reciprocating stem the wholeoperation of forming the pellet may be accomplished with one hand, thatholds the dental forceps in aposition as shown in Fig. l of thedrawings.

lt is obvious that it is not essential to the invention that the disk begiven any depthwise motion, as the rotary motion is all that isvrequiredin the operation of forming the pellet, and the invention is not limitedto a device in which the disk has thedepthwise motion, but is present,provided the disk has the Wiper or brush and the rotary motion and themeans for rotating the disk.

rPhe standard is secured to a cotton-holder ICO simply for the purposeof convenience, and it may be provided With clamping means for securingit to any fixed object in position convenient for use. The ber commonlyused in dentistry for this purpose is of cotton; but it is obvious thatother ber may be used in connection With this device without departingfrom the invention.

It is obviously not essential to the invention that the brush-supportshould be of disk shape; but the form shown is preferred, for the reasonthat it serves to guide the point of the forceps quickly to the centerabout which the brush is revolved, and this is of particular advantagewhen but one hand can be used in operating the device.

I claim as my inventionl. In combination with a supportng-stand ard, arotary brush-support and a brushsecured to the support eccentric of thecenter on which the support rotates, substantially as described,

2. A cotton-pellet-forlning device comprising a rotary brush-supporthaving a holding point, and a brush or rubber arranged at the side ofthe holding-point, all substantially as described.

3. In combination with a supporting-standard, a disk having aholding-point, and a brush located eccentric to the point on the uppersurface of the disk, a reciprocating and rotary stem supporting the diskon its upper end and means whereby the stem and disk are rotated, allsubstantially as described.

4. In combination with a supporting-standard, a rotary brush-supportwith a holdingpoint, a brush located eccentric to the center on whichthe support rotates, the stern with the spiral thread to Which thebrush-support is secured, the nut fixed to the standard and throughwhich the stem passes, and the coilspring attached at one end to thestandard and at the other to the stern, all substantiallyas described.

RICHARD N. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

E. C. CHAPMAN, C. E. HAREWooD.

